Things are actually very strange, whether it is the acting king or the king of Shen, there are many people in the Jinyi Wei internal guard hidden in the palaces of these two Shanxi kings.

Although it is true that 'where there is oppression, there is resistance', but in the oppressed places, where there is instability, Zhu Houzhao has ordered people to strictly monitor it.

Could it be that they have all been deceived?

Zhu Houzhao couldn't be sure, Mao Yuyu didn't give him a definite answer, but there was still a possibility.

At the beginning, Zhu Di was also watched in Beiping, and there must have been spies in Nanjing by his side, and he was not fooled by him.

After all, the prince is still the prince, and the people who monitor can only find a chance to take a look, and they can't contact him all the time, knowing that he has every word with everyone.

Pressing this doubt for the time being, Zhu Houzhao still went to meet his four cabinet ministers first.

Right now, none of the four of them should have received relevant information, they don't know, Zhu Houzhao also has a bit of self-cultivation, and his face is as calm as water, even they can't see it.

"Before the Lantern Festival passed, the four pavilion elders were announced to enter the palace, and you have worked hard."

Yang Yiqing couldn't afford the emperor to speak like this, let alone others, so he bowed down one after another, not daring to bear it.

Zhu Houzhao was in a good mood on the surface, he smiled and rubbed his hands, "You Ji, it's very cold, except for Jiefu, the other three gentlemen are all older, bring the brazier." ”

"Thank you for the emperor's kindness!"

Zhu Houzhao is kind to the old ministers, and he is quite sympathetic to his subordinates, and this kind of thing is quite in place, and all the courtiers who have seen him will feel that the emperor actually feels like a spring breeze, and it is hard to imagine that the kind of thing that is rolling in the head will be done by this person.

When Zhengde was in the third year, there was a time when the emperor summoned the main officials of Shuntian Mansion, after all, Zhengde divided the land in the second year, and a year later, Zhu Houzhao wanted to see how the situation was, so he ordered Gu Renyi to carry these people into the palace together.

At that time, Lu Gong, the new Liangxiang magistrate, had unbearable stomach pain, and he couldn't hold it anymore, so he had to relieve himself.

This matter was held by a group of imperial historians, and more than 40 copies of the edict were issued in more than ten days to ask the emperor to punish him for the crime of misconduct in front of the king.

Zhu Houzhao can understand that imperial power is to be majestic, not too casual.

But the specific situation is analyzed, and in terms of his current authority, he no longer needs these, so he ignored all these notes, and wrote Zhu Criticism: Everyone has three urgency, are you not in a hurry?

This incident touched Lu Gong deeply, after all, he was also very scared, afraid that he would really be punished, and he was even more panicked all day long during that time, but he didn't expect the emperor to come out and personally intercede for him, the magistrate.

This is a trivial matter for others, and for him it is as thick as the heavens.

Lu Gong himself always remembered this incident, when others called him the title of Sanjian County, he also gladly accepted it, and sighed when he met people: From this, I know that my emperor is benevolent and righteous.

The emperor is strict on the one hand, and generous on the other, which is the old saying of grace and power.

Yang Yiqing, Wang Wei and others also feel the same way, and the emperor treats them well, unless they are confused in serious matters.

“…… Today, a few people came over, mainly in Jizhou. Zhu Houzhao gave the minister a seat, but he kept rubbing his hands and walking around, "Jizhou has gone through the turmoil of the six guards, plus the people who were unfortunately killed and injured in the battle on the side of the imperial court officials and soldiers, just such direct losses, there are more than 30,000 people. As for itself, there are still many old and weak soldiers and horses in Jizhou, so I pondered and streamlined the original more than 20 guards in Jizhou to 10 guards, about 50,000 people. That's what it means, and I'd like to discuss it with you. ”

During the two or three hundred years of a dynasty, some more powerful elite soldiers and horses will emerge at different times, such as the Qi family army and the Guanning iron cavalry in the Ming Dynasty.

However, the armies that emerged in the middle and late dynasties were basically conscripts, and some of them were outside the main army.

To talk about the Ming Dynasty, there should be at least two million troops at this time.

But it hardly works.

Even if the troops are trained, they will not care about the old ones and reorganize them.

In the late Manchu Dynasty, various new armies were also organized.

It is because the interests of the old army are no longer clear, it is like a group of parasites, connected to the flesh and blood of the main body, but it itself has been corrupted, it will hurt to cut it off, and it will die if it is not cut.

Therefore, this turmoil is Zhu Houzhao's only opportunity to remove the flesh and sores, and take advantage of the chaotic period of order to re-establish order.

It's not that simple, though.

Streamlining personnel is a simple four words.

Where do the people who have been streamlined go?

Zhu Houzhao knew that these four experienced people must also be able to think of this problem.

"Your Majesty...... It is to make Jizhou like Ningxia. Wang Wei first said, "However, Ningxia originally only had seven guards, and after removing casualties, it was not difficult to streamline it to four guards." But Jizhou is different, and there are many more soldiers who need to be cut. ”

"Yes."

"Your Majesty." Yang Yiqing said, "The minister has a word, I don't know whether to say it or not." ”

"Just be outspoken."

"The minister thinks that His Majesty does not have to force that there are Teng Xiang four guards everywhere. His Majesty personally received twenty-six guards, and he knew best how much silver taels a Grade A guard would cost, and this was one of them. Second, the army of the guard station is also divided into infantry and troops, and there is a difference between garrison and field battle. Please...... His Majesty forgave the old minister for being deaf, and the old minister thought that if there were 20,000 elites in Jizhou, it would be enough. However, 20,000 elite soldiers are not enough to defend such a large place and so many cities, so the border towns also need 'C' guards. ”

Ah, that's a point that can't be easily denied.

In such a matter as army building, no matter how rich you are, you must also consider the cost issue, otherwise it will drag down the finances, and this is called reckless military force. Blindly increasing the burden on the country and the people, in the end, this strong fortress was breached from the inside.

Yang Yiqing continued: "The old minister has calculated that His Majesty has at least 200,000 elite soldiers in Beijing, and there are Gansu soldiers, Ningxia soldiers, and Hetao soldiers in the northwest, so it will cost another 100,000. If there are two to thirty thousand elite infantry soldiers in each town, then I can have 500,000 elite soldiers, including more than 50,000 cavalry. For thousands of years, there are not many people who can have the strength of my Ming Dynasty at this time. ”

This is indeed not a lie, no matter how many soldiers and horses the feudal dynasty claims, it is actually a minority in combat.

"What do you think?" Zhu Houzhao asked.

"The minister seconded the proposal." Yang Tinghe was the first to say.

Wang Bing and Wang Wei have no other opinions.

"Okay, then according to Yang Ge's intentions. But Jizhou still has to do the matter of reducing the number of people, but the remaining ten guards are also in accordance with the classification method of pro-guards A, B and C, three, four and three, three Class A guards, four Class B guards, and three Class C guards. ”

Despite this, the first-class guards of the border army are definitely inferior to the upper direct guards.

Yang Ge Lao breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, although this kind of approach, although it was not as magnificent as the emperor's '50,000 elite soldiers', it had a greater benefit: to do it.

The three C-class guards are the buffer zone, which is used to house those who are not easy to clear out directly.

And Jizhou really doesn't need 50,000 elite soldiers, 20,000 capable soldiers, enough to deal with some emergencies, even if there is any big chaos, there are Xuanfu, Liaodong and the elite of the Beijing division on the side.

Besides, Jizhou is like this, and then Datong and Xuanfu are also like this, each has such strength, and it is inevitable that there will be worries about instability.

Zhu Houzhao will not blindly insist on his own opinions, it also depends on the situation, the key is that his main reliance in the future is not Jizhou soldiers and horses, so there is no problem in giving them a policy that is convenient for them to operate.

But he was a little dissatisfied with Yang Shangyi.

So he added a sentence to the end, "When you pass the decree to Yang Shangyi, you have to make it clear to him that he is a general who has led the army for decades, and he knows the truth that soldiers are not expensive." These three first-class guards have 18,000 people, if they can't train a tiger army, I won't have a kind word to him! ”

If you can't bring 20,000 soldiers, then don't bring it!

The emperor didn't say this ugly sentence, but in fact, it meant that.

The elders understood the holy will.

The final outcome of Jizhou is three points.

First, there is no doubt that the military cantonments should be cleaned up in place.

Second, take this opportunity to rectify the guards in Jizhou, the key to which is the three first-class guards, the rest, to be honest, many cities in Jizhou, passes need defenders, Tuntian also needs a tun army, this part will be on the line, once divided into B, C and so on, the military salary will be on the next level, the pressure on the treasury is also small, so that the water can flow for a long time.

As for this third point, it is also a general, that is, from chaos to order, highlighting a stable character.

After the cabinet returned, Yang Yiqing personally wrote the draft, and after the drafting, he sent it to Zhu Hou for reading.

This is an old politician, and he is more comprehensive in considering things than Zhu Houzhao, who may not be practical, so after reading it, the emperor was as satisfied as usual, "This can be called appropriate, use the seal, and award it to Yang Shangyi." ”

"Wechen obeys."

"Elder Yang Ge, there is one more thing."

"When Wang Shouren returned to Beijing this time, he also brought two guards and Shuofang troops, and there were not many people, but at that time, he was considering that if there was any instability, he could be dispatched at any time. After these 10,000 people arrived in Beijing, how to settle down still needs to be carefully considered and properly arranged by Yang Gelao, and there are cavalry among them, and Jingdou must also be prepared. ”

Yang Yiqing has led the troops for many years, where can he not think of this, he nodded and said yes, "The minister received a report a few years ago, knowing that Wang Bo'an was going to enter Beijing, and all preparations have begun, please rest assured." ”

"Hmm."

Zhu Houzhao stretched his waist.

There are a few powerful cabinet elders who are still different.

Yang Yiqing has served as a civil official and military attaché, fought wars, and governed the people, and is indeed a rare talent.

"With Yang Ge always here, I can worry a lot less."

"It is the duty of the minister to share the worries of the king."

"There is no imperial examination this year, the main one is the big court meeting in March. After two years of stability, there are obviously more things this year, and Yang Ge is afraid that he will have to work hard again. ”

Yang Yiqing saluted, and everything was in plain sight.

This kind of time is torture for the incompetent.

But for Yang Yiqing, it was the time when he did big things.

~~~

Shuofang Town is a cavalry all the way to the foot, scattered and orderly advance, marching more than a month before crossing the Bauhinia Pass and arriving at the foot of the Beijing Division.

There was no obstacle here that the unordered army should not enter the city, because the holy decree had already urged Wang Shouren to speed up the march without delay.

In the fifth year of Zhengde, on the eighteenth day of the first month, after the Lantern Festival, the festive atmosphere gradually dissipated, most of the soldiers and horses of Shuofang entered the city, and Wang Shouren entered the palace to face the saint, and there was no delay for a moment.

He was anxious, not only because of the Holy Decree, but also because of another thing.

Zhu Houzhao was happy to see this one, the matter reported by Jinyi Wei was vague, but it seemed that there was indeed a problem, and now that Wang Shouren is back, in his opinion, no matter what the problem is, half of the problem has been solved.

Originally, he wanted to say a few words of greeting, but he knew that Wang Shouren was very serious, "Your Majesty! There are important things to do! ”

"What's the matter?"

"Your Majesty is invited to summon a person."

Zhu Houzhao did not refuse, Wang Shouren looked back, and then a small chamberlain walked in with a person who looked like a scholar, this person was wearing a square scarf, a light blue shirt, a beard with the word 'one', and he looked like he was in his early forties.

"Weichen Shanxi mentions Yan Biyun, see Your Majesty."

Zhu Houzhao didn't know this official, but he still knew what he was doing, and in a sense, he was also a local supervision official, "Bo'an, why did Shanxi mention the school to you?" ”

"Your Majesty, let the ministers answer this matter. Chen Yuan was a second-class jinshi in the twelfth year of Hongzhi, and he had heard the name of Wang Shouren ten years ago. This time, he also knew that the emperor's holy decree had summoned him back to Beijing, so he waited on the road. ”

"You're waiting for him? Why? ”

"In order to save an old life, I can expose a case of rebellion to the emperor!"

Zhu Houzhao had heard Mao Yu mention it before, so he was mentally prepared, he drank back from the waiter who wanted to come to serve tea, and said seriously: "Get up and speak." Boan, you are also flat. ”

Yan Biyun didn't dare to get up, not only did he not get up, but he also kowtowed heavily on the floor, "Your Majesty, the minister wants to participate in the Shanxi Metropolitan Command Envoy Tian Ze secretly colluded with Pingyang Wei, Fenzhou Wei, Luzhou Wei and others to plot trouble!" ”

"Is there any evidence?"

"The minister has no evidence yet, the minister heard it, and not a word is in the minister's hands."

Wang Shouren arched his hand, "Your Majesty, the minister knows that he is strict about his academic character, and he is willing to vouch for it, if it is not true, he will never dare to speak wildly in front of the emperor!" ”

"And where did you hear that?"

"Command the envoys!" Yan Biyun said firmly, "The minister was invited to participate in the banquet, and in the process he rushed out, but he got lost and overheard the plot of this secret room!" ”

"You mentioned Luzhou Wei, is it King Shen?"

The first generation of King Shen is the twenty-first son of Zhu Yuanzhang, Hongwu was named King Shen in the twenty-fourth year, and he was vassal in Shenyang, and in the sixth year of Yongle, Zhu Di moved it to Luzhou, Shanxi.

This Luzhou is in the southeast of Shanxi, which is probably the location of today's Changzhi City, and it is far from the northernmost Datong Dynasty.

"According to what the ministers heard, they are not headed by King Shen, but they must be named after King Shen."

Speaking of this, Zhu Houzhao suddenly understood.

Why didn't Jinyiwei inquire about the news, and heard the wind, but he didn't know where the wind came from.

It turned out that the point was misunderstood.

It was still the rebellion of the king of Anhua in Ningxia, which attracted the attention of Jinyiwei to the various vassal kings, and the other is that the Ming Dynasty's defense of vassal kings is an old tradition.

Zhu Houzhao thought for a while and then asked: "But up to now, there has not been a letter from Shanxi to report this matter, even if there is no rumor of the incident, can these people control Shanxi without leaking?" Tell me everything else you've heard. ”

"Yes!" Yan Biyun took a deep breath, "According to what the minister heard at the time, they wanted to take advantage of the two chaos, one was the rebellion in the border town of the military tun, and the other was the rebellion in the court caused by the rebellion. As for His Majesty's statement that there was no movement at all in Shanxi, the minister and Bo'an also discussed, perhaps it was the thunderous momentum of the Jizhou Rebellion in the imperial court that made them a little jealous, so they were temporarily silent and prepared to wait for the chaos in the court first. ”

"In the court, there is no sign of chaos, let alone a case of rebellion. Besides, who is going to rebel? ”

Yan Biyun's eyes shot a fine light, "Your Majesty, please forgive the minister for speaking out about the offense." ”

"You say."

"Your Majesty cleaned up the military camps, and there were signs of turmoil in the border towns. At this time, His Majesty may suspect that anyone may rebel. ”

This is to take advantage of the suspicion of the Son of Heaven, a bit level.

Zhu Houzhao's eyes began to be different, and these people seemed to be more capable than King Anhua.

Wang Shouren also said: "This is the most critical time for the clean-up of the military tun, in case the Beijing division sets off a big case, which is widely implicated, causing panic in the people's hearts, it will definitely make the border town unstable, and the court will be in a dilemma at that time." This intention is indeed vicious. ”